This week, I posted my September Meal Plan. First up on my calendar was this ravioli with pumpkin sauce recipe. You can find the original recipe HERE.

I was pretty spot on while following the recipe, like to the T. With the added pumpkin in the sauce, I was afraid to change to much, not knowing how it would effect the taste. 

My review of the recipe: 

The sauce was very hearty. It was thick and chunky. I like thick and chunky. Sadly, I was not able to taste the pumpkin, at all. My tastebuds were waiting there, with open arms, ready to embrace all things pumpkin that evening. When the sauce hit their open armed anticipation of pumpkin, sadness set in when the pumpkin decided not to greet them. It almost acted as a filler rather then adding any flavor to it. The sauce was tasty, but lacked the fall pumpkin taste we were all hoping for. My kiddos loved the sauce, but were as disappointed as my tastebuds, that there was not any hint of pumpkin. 

On the plus side, this recipe was incredibly easy to throw together. It is a really tasty homemade sauce, just don't expect the pumpkin zing one would hope for.

See how deliciously thick this sauce is.

A few things I will change when I make it next (I like to try recipes at least twice, you know, to give them a fair chance):

I will caramelize the onions before I put them in the crock pot. Who doesn't like caramelized onions? 

Store bought ravioli is quick and handy. We did go grocery shopping that day, so I was not in the mood to make ravioli. But, come on, you can't beat homemade ravioli. Perhaps I'll find some sort of pumpkin ravioli recipe to pair with this sauce to add more fall flavors into the mix.

I did find this Fresh Pumpkin Pasta recipe I might use instead of ravioli. 

Adding some roasted rosemary might be tasty. Or even some pumpkin spice or nutmeg? Less tomatoes possibly. More pumpkin.

Or, just a whole new pumpkin sauce recipe to get that pumpkin flavor. 

This was a tasty non pumpkin flavored sauce. If you make it, just don't expect your tastebuds to dance around pumpkin tastiness, but instead a nice hearty sauce. 

I think I will rename this sauce Hearty Sauce. Yep. Hearty Sauce.

I love to try out new recipes I find on Pintrest. If you have any that you would like me to try, email me or comment below!

Happy cooking!

Chelsey

You guys, get a bread machine if you do not have one! Save up your Swagbucks and buy one if your on a tight budget. It will make some incredible bread. Plus, if your schedule is cra cra (was I trying to hard there?), it's a great way to make homemade bread without spending a ton of time on it. 

Today, I'm going to share with you my banana bread recipe. 

A little secret about me, if I find something I like to eat, I could eat it every day for weeks on end. My husband, on the other hand, not so much. Regardless, we have had an insane amount of banana bread the past couple of weeks. 

And that is why, folks. Looks at that. It's ok, we can pause for a minute while you get your self a hankie and wipe that drool running down your face off. 

Alright, so here is how to make this bad boy.

Banana Bread in a Bread Machine

Ingredients:

·      2 eggs
·      1/3 cup butter – cold and sliced
·      1/8 cup milk
·      3 bananas – sliced
·      1- 1/3 cup flour
·      2/3 cup sugar
·      1 – ¼ teaspoon baking powder
·      ½ teaspoon baking soda
·      ½ teaspoon salt

1.     Put all ingredients into the bread machine, in order. Make sure your butter is cold and thinly sliced. Also, thinly slice your bananas.
2.     Use the quick bread setting for your machine. Scrape the flour off the sides, as to make sure it mixes well, while the machine is mixing everything. Once it is done mixing, let the machine do the rest.
Recipe adapted from about food.

That's it! Only making my point clearer as to why you need a bread machine. And yes, this bread is just as moist as it looks. 

Now go make yourself some and slap some butter on it.

Real butter.

Always, real butter.